Tag Archives: fees
Cheap Home Loans
Simply put, the “cheapest” home loan or mortgage is the one that costs you the least over the term of the loan taking into account interest rates, fees and penalties. If you are looking for a cheap home loan deal, here are some tips that could save you time and money:
Dont assume that your trusty bank of 20 years is going to give you the best deal today because they offered you a great deal the last time you needed a home loan. Today, there are a lot more home loan options than there used to be.
There are hundreds of home loan products available and shopping around could save you tens of thousands of dollars. The Internet has made comparing home loans fast and easy. With todays online mortgage comparison tools, it is possible to identify a list of potentially suitable home loans in a few minutes. Comparing home loans with the aid of these advanced tools is the smart and convenient way to find you ideal home loan.
Nowadays, prospective borrowers are bombarded with marketing claims of “discounted” or “low” rates. Often these so called “discount rates” may only be introductory offers or come with other fees and conditions in the fine print. It is important to look beyond the headline rates and see what you are actually getting. A good comparison tool could help you see beyond the hype and hidden costs.
Consider your particular circumstances carefully. One home loan product may be ideal for one borrower but may not be the best option for another. The terms and features specific to each loan product could make a huge difference to their cost over the term of the loan.
One way to reduce accrued interest is to make biweekly repayments rather than monthly repayments. An even better way to reduce interest is to take advantage of the offset feature offered by many lenders. Offset facilities allow you to deposit your spending money into a linked account, whereby the balance is subtracted (offset) from the home loan principal. This is especially beneficial if you have significant amounts of money coming into your accounts on a regular basis.
Redraw facilities, if used effectively, could also save you a great deal of money over the term of your mortgage. Every time you receive a lump sum of money or have any money left over, you could deposit it into your mortgage account, reducing the principal and therefore the interest. Then, when you need money for an emergency or unexpected expense, many good home loan products will let you take it out again without fees. Parking additional money in your home loan is better than putting it into high interest accounts, which usually pay a lower rate of interest than the interest charged on home loans.
Conversely, even small penalties and fees can compound and be extremely costly over the term of the loan. Beware of fees and penalties such as monthly recurring fees, late payment penalties and redraw fees.
On a final note, beware of costly “exit fees” that may apply for several years after you take out a mortgage. Special introductory rates often come with severe penalties in the event that you pay off of the mortgage within a few years, and this could be a considerable burden if you are forced to sell your home.
Information and Advice on Five Different Types of Credit Cards
How can you find the right credit card for you with so many different types of cards available? The first thing you need to do is start thinking about how you plan on using credit and for what. After you do this, you can start comparing all the different charge cards and credit cards available. Some cards offer you excellent value, and then there are others, which may cost more in finance and interest charges, provide incentives you may find useful. My advice is to research all the varying card rates, fees and benefits before making a decision.
Depending on your needs, you’ll find several different options which can fit what you are looking for. There are some cards aimed toward individual consumers, while others are built specifically for small business needs. To help you figure out what type of credit card would fit your needs, here is some information on five of the most common credit cards available:
- Standard credit cards – These types of credit cards are the most commonly used. They let the user hold a balance on the card all the way up to a set credit limit. After you make a purchase for an item such as a new TV, credit from that balance is used. After you make payments on that balance, that credit is made available to you once again. Keep in mind that finance charges and interest rates will be applied at the end of the month to your balance. You should also be aware of your card’s minimum payment that needs to be paid by a certain due date or be charged late-payment penalties.
- Premium credit cards – Premium credit cards are very similar to regular credit cards except these offer incentives and benefits. I’m talking about those Gold and Platinum credits cards. These offer incentives such as cash back, reward points, or travel upgrades along with many other different types of rewards just for using the card. However, they tend to come with higher fees and you will need minimum income and credit score requirements before you can be qualified for one.
- Prepaid credit cards – These credit cards require money to be uploaded onto the card before it can be used for a transaction. You do not have a renewing credit limit on these either since you are responsible for how much of a balance is loaded up on the card. They work very similarly as debit cards do, but are not dependent on the balance of your checking account.
- Business credit cards – These cards are intended specifically for business use. These cards allow business owners to keep all of their transaction separated between personal and business. They work nearly identical to a standard credit card does with mostly all the same rules and fees.
- Charge cards – Charge cards are basically credit cards without a limit to how much you can charge. The only requirement is that the entire balance must be paid in full at the end of the month. Since the balance is always paid in full monthly, they tend not to come with any finance charges or minimum payments. They ares however, subject to fees, charge restrictions, or card cancellations if you are late on your monthly payments.